Replaced
by Silver0Blood
Summary: Misty has gone back to her family, leaving a broken Ash. With the meeting of a nice young girl, can Ash recover?


Replaced - Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If this fic manages to bear any resemblance whatsoever to any other fic out there, forgive me. I can't read all the fics in the world.  
"I miss her Brock. Why'd she have to leave us?" He said the last part to himself, "Why'd she have to leave me?" As it was thus, Ash and Brock were alone. Misty had left them, and was staying with her family that was all in Red Town, a small village just south of where they were. Ash was walking with his head slightly slumped, and not one bit of enthuse left in him. He kept his hand in his pocket, holding the only and last thing that he had to remember Misty by. It was a small sapphire charm, shaped like a drop of water, attached to a chain. Misty had given it to Ash as a parting gift. "Just think about it Ash," Brock said, "You'd do the same. What if you met your father on one of our journeys? What would you do?" "Well I wouldn't leave my friends." Ash said, getting defensive, though in his mind he wasn't sure what he'd do. He'd never thought about it before. Currently, the duo was heading for a city called Star. Star City was all but what it's name would give one an idea. It wasn't the futuristic modern city that it sounded like. It was in fact very behind. The inhabitants lived quite primitively, and were happy with it. But they had a gym, and Ash planned to go through with his dream, however a major part of it was still south of them. So they walked, keeping on the path through the mountains that they were taking, one step after another. Brock was a bit sad as well, for though he didn't have the ties that Ash had with Misty, he was still a good friend. "So Brock," Ash said, not sounding at all like he was into what he was asking, "Do you know what kind of Pokemon this gym leader specializes in?" "Yeah, actually," Brock said. But he stopped there, and said no more. "Well, what kind?" Ash said, actually changing his tone from depressed, although it was to angry. Brock didn't say anything else though, he only made a sign with his finger to his mouth, signifying for Ash to be quiet. He was alert, looking at something in the distance, though what it was, Ash couldn't figure out. They were surrounded on both sides, one with a rock face, and the other with a gaping emptiness of air, where the road fell off down the side of the mountain. But Brock was looking behind them a bit, but after about ten minuets, he went back to normal. "What was it?" Ash asked, finally able to talk. "Nothing. I thought something was following us though." Brock said, looking back one last time for confirmation. Passing it off as nothing, the two continued their journey towards Star City. Brock doubted Ash's battling ability due to his depressed mood. "Jeez, he had it worse than I thought." Brock thought to himself, taking a glance at Ash, who was acting as if the very air he breathed, was gone. After walking for a few more hours, they finally arrived at the gate of Star City. It indeed was a small town, with only a few houses, small buildings, a Pokemon center, and at the center of the village, the gym. They decided to go to the Pokemon center to rest their companions, and themselves, before they fought. "Aaahhh! Look out!!" Ash barely heard this scream, as he was run into, and knocked to the ground. Picking himself up off of he ground, he saw sitting before him, holding her head, a young girl. "You okay?" He asked, sounding a bit like normal. "Yeah, sorry. I was just in a hurry, and I tripped over that box back there," She pointed behind her to an overturned box of apples, " So my name's Whitney, what's yours?" "Ash Ketchum." He said, standing up and brushing himself off. Whitney was a younger girl, judging by how she looked, about ten, Ash guessed. That was now young to Ash, for he was fifteen, and had been on his Pokemon quest for five years. She had straight, mid-neck length red hair, and a slight frame. Here eyes were blue, and quite deep, despite her youth. "I'm Brock." Brock said, extending his hand to shake Whitney's. They shook hands. "So you're going to the Pokemon center?" She asked, looking in that direction. "Yeah, we are." Ash said. "Oh, well so am I. My mom's Nurse Joy." Brock and Ash both were slightly surprised from this, Ash because he had never thought about Nurse Joy having children, and he wondered if they were all like Whitney, and Brock, because he couldn't flirt with Whitney's mom, and that got him mad. "Well good, we can walk together." Ash said, as he and Whitney took off for the Pokemon center. Brock lagged behind and listened to them talk. "Surely Ash couldn't be so upset that he'd push Misty out of his head with this girl that's five years younger than him." Brock thought, as he monitored Ash's actions towards Whitney. He was indeed being flirtatious, if even in the smallest amount. Whitney wasn't acting at all different. She was still as playful and talkative as she was when they met. They finally arrived, and just as they walked through the doors, Nurse Joy exclaimed, "Whitney, your knee!" Before they could even look down, Nurse Joy was out from behind the counter, and placing a rag on Whitney's knee. "Ow!!" Whitney yelled, jumping back into Ash yet again, and toppling them both to the floor. Nurse Joy paid no heed though, as she wiped around the cut that Whitney had on her knee from the apple box. Ash was under Whitney, as the girl jerked from time to time from her mother's passing over a tender spot of the cut. He looked up behind him at Brock, who just stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Ash in a warning manner. Nevertheless, Ash started to laugh, and so did Brock, despite his worries. "What.OUCH.is so funny?" Whitney said, looking back at the laughing boys, not really mad, but just a bit aggravated, due to her position. "Stay there." Nurse Joy said, standing up to go get gauze from behind her counter. Ash and Whitney started to stand themselves up, but Joy stopped them, "No! Don't move." So the two eased back down. Joy came back with some bandage wrap, and put it around Whitney's leg. Finally, after three more minuets of sitting on the floor, the two were able to stand, "Sorry about that," Whitney said, looking at Ash and blushing a bit. "Don't sweat it." He replied. "So, now that that's out of the way, what can I do for you two?" Nurse Joy popped right back into her usual cheery mood. "Well, I'm Ash, and this is*" "I'm Brock, nice to meet you." Brock leapt in front of Ash, clasping Joy's hand like he had done for the past five years, and who knows how long before then. "Anyway, I'm here to challenge your gym leader, and get my next badge. But we need our Pokemon topped off first." Ash said, finishing where he was cut off before. "No problem. I'll get your Pokemon rested up and ready by morning, so you can all rest here or wherever you wish," Joy said, "But anyway, though I believe you may had already met, this is my daughter, Whitney." Whitney did a little mocking bow, looking at Ash with a playful smile on her face, "Sorry about just now, but I'm, never too careful with my little girl." "It's alright. But thanks, here are my poke*" And that was it for Ash. Horrified now, he realized what he had done. In his morning for Misty, he had somehow forgotten about Pikachu, and now he was nowhere to be seen, "Pikachu! Where's Pikachu?!" He burst out of the Pokemon center doors, yelling his companion's name over and over. "Pika!!" Pikachu yelled, from back inside the center, as he giggled his head off at Ash. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled, bursting back into the center, and grabbing his Pokemon up, "I thought I had lost you!" He hugged Pikachu, and then after about a minuet, when reality returned to him, he realized how stupid he must look. Turning bright red, Ash slowly lowered Pikachu to find the three looking at him with huge grins on their face as if they were about to burst out laughing at any moment. That is, except for Whitney. She was smiling, but it was a warm smile, and Ash found comfort in this and let a small curve form in his lips as well. "Thought you forgot him?" Brock asked. "Yeah, I did." Ash was surprised though, for as he thought about it, he hadn't seem Pikachu since last night, when the made camp. And Brock would never tell him, but ash actually had forgotten Pikachu, but the rodent followed along behind them, and this is what Brock saw. After he realized who it was, Brock let the matter drop. "Well I'm glad you didn't," Whitney said, "You look worried enough." "Yeah." Ash said, dropping his head a little, remembering Misty again. "What's wrong? Did I say something?" Whitney asked, seeing Ash droop. Ash said nothing, only shook his head to signify 'no', and he handed his Poke balls to Nurse Joy. "I'll explain later," Brock, said to Whitney, as Ash just turned and walked out of the center. Whitney started to follow, but Brock held her back. The sun was almost down, and Ash sat on the outside bench, facing the yellow orb's setting. The sky was afire with purple and pink, and the clouds were a very dark blue. With a sigh, Ash took out Misty's charm, and placed it around his neck. He looked down at it, and the setting sun reflected off of the stone to look as if the drop was actually flowing, and dancing with specks of light. Upon seeing this, Ash could hold no more, and he snapped. He began to cry like a child, as he stared at the charm, and old memories flooded his brain like his tears were doing his shirt. He recalled he and Misty's first meeting. Of how he stole her bike, and saved Pikachu with it. Misty could have done far worse than just get angry with him for the bike, but instead, she followed him, and they began a wonderful journey. He thought as well of how she looked when Ash bought her a new bike, one identical to the one that she had. He had walked it all the way from Cerulean City to Pallet town, not once sitting on it, for he wanted it to be totally new for Misty. She almost cried when he had walked into his house with the thing, freshly washed yet again, and sparkling. That gained Ash a hug, and a kiss. A kiss. He nearly melted when Misty kissed him for the first time in his life. It was to be the moment that totally gave his heart for forfeit to Misty. But it was the last time that it would happen. Shortly after, Misty left him. His tears had stopped flowing, but they were still on his face. He continued to stare at his charm, and thought in his head that it would always be a token of her for him to bear with pride and honor. He thought of the very old days, when knights would wear the tokens of their lady into battle, and thus would be his charm. He'd not take it off ever again. "That's a pretty charm, where's the girl that gave it to you?" Whitney sat down on the bench next to Ash, and looked at him sympathetically. Ash didn't even pay heed to her apparent knowledge that the charm was given to him, and by a 'girl'. "She left to stay with her family. This was her parting gift." Ash said, looking up at Whitney to behold a girl of only age ten, but she had wisdom beyond her years. She was looking at him with care and concern, though she hardly knew him. Suddenly, Ash felt warmth that he hadn't felt in a very long time. Not since he was last with Misty. He felt like embracing Whitney in a tight hug, if only to show his appreciation, but he could not even do that, for there were people in the world who would see such a thing as being wrong, due to the age gap. So instead, he just reached over and placed his arm around Whitney's back, and pulled her a bit closer. "Thank you." He said.  
Note: I am not a pervert. This isn't at all what some of you might be thinking it's implying. Aside from that being said, what do you think? I know the first chapter is a bit boring, and nothing really happens but character development, but in the next chapter, there'll be more action, I promise. Review, and keep it real! 


End file.
